United Provinces
The United Provinces are a major faction in Empire: Total War. Description The United Provinces are a Protestant stronghold in North-western Europe, a place where science, trade and freedom of thought have flourished since the Spanish were driven out in the last century. Having tamed their land and held back the sea, the Dutch have also embraced the sea and become the foremost naval power in the world. A mere generation ago, the Dutch navy sailed into the Thames and burned the English fleet at anchor: this kind of bravado and expertise is not quickly forgotten. Dutch merchantmen range across the world’s oceans, and the wealth of the world passes through Dutch ports. Dutchmen can be found trading in the Indies, where they give the locals a run for their money, and the Caribbean. They are everywhere, in fact, where there is a profit to be made. Spanish claims to the New World and its trade are cheerfully ignored, as are Spanish threats. The Dutch have learned to live with Hapsburg threats hanging over their heads. Having beaten off brutal attempts to bring them to heel, the Dutch now have little love for Hapsburg-ruled Spain or Austria. A distant Catholic emperor holds no appeal for them. An expansionist France, on the other hand, does bear watching, and guarding against. Other rivals close at hand are now less of a threat than they used to be. The British have been… tamed is too strong a word… brought to their senses by having a good, honest Dutchman on their throne. William III of Orange was an acceptable Protestant ruler for the British when they needed one. His presence has done much to calm relations, especially as the equally-mercantile British have designs on world trade that should rightfully be Dutch! For the future, the Dutch have much to be hopeful about. They have a strong navy, and a tradition of victory. There is wealth aplenty in every corner of the world, if only the Dutch have the will to go and take it! General Information Victory Conditions Short Campaign Capture and hold 15 regions by the end of the year 1750, including: Ceylon, Curaçao, French Guyana, New Andalusia, Dutch Guyana, Carnatica, Flanders, New York, and the Netherlands. Long Campaign Capture and hold 25 regions by the end of the year 1799 including: Ceylon, Curaçao, French Guyana, New Andalusia, Dutch Guyana, Carnatica, Flanders, New York, the Netherlands, Bijapur, Mysore, and Goa. World Domination Capture and hold 40 regions by the end of the year 1799, including: the Netherlands. Basics at start *'Protectorates' – None *'Allies' – Austria, Great Britain *'Trade Partners' – Great Britain, Maratha Confederacy, Mughal Empire *'Enemies' – Barbary States, Pirates *'Religion' – Protestant *'Government' – Republic *'Ruler' – Willem (President) *'Population' – 2,137,943 *'Prosperity' – Affluent *'Prestige' – Moderate *'Treasury' – 7500 *'Technology' - None *'Missionaries' – Jeroen Grasdyke (Ceylon) *'Rakes' – Willem Ganesvoort (Flanders) *'Gentlemen' – Willem’s Gravesande (The Netherlands) *'Generals' - Hendrick van Nassau-Ouwerkerk (The Netherlands), Christiaan van Waldeck (Amsterdam), Joord Coster (Trincomalee) *'Admirals' - Philips van Almonde (North Sea), Gerard Callenburgh (Caribbean Sea) Europe Theatre Amsterdam, The Netherlands *'Starting Buildings' – Barracks, State Capitol, Conservatorium, Admiralty, Cannon Foundry, Settlement Fortifications *'Infrastructure' - Basic Roads *'Population' – 1,890,682 *'Wealth' – 2550 *'Religion' – Protestantism 95.0%, Catholicism 5.0% *'Starting Towns/Ports' – Leeuwarden Farmland (Not Developed), Emmen Farmland (Tenanted Farms), Den Haag (Weaver’s Cottage), Rotterdam (Commercial Port), Utrecht (School) *'Later Villages/Ports' – None India Theatre Trincomalee, Ceylon *'Starting Buildings' – Army Encampment, Magistrate *'Infrastructure' – Not Developed *'Population' – 239,114 *'Wealth' – 873 *'Religion' – Protestantism 0.0%, Catholicism 30.0%, Hinduism 35.0%, Buddhism 35.0% *'Starting Towns/Ports' – Anamaduwa Wetlands (Rice Paddies), Ratnapura Mines (Not Developed), Kandy (Craft Workshop Weavers), Colombo (Trading Port) *'Later Villages/Ports' – None *'Plantations' – Dimbula Plantations (Small Tea Plantation) America Theatre Punda, Curacao *'Starting Building' – Military Governor’s Barracks *'Infrastructure' – Not Developed *'Population' – 5,092 *'Wealth' – 612 *'Religion' – Protestantism 95.0%, Animism 5.0% *'Starting Towns/Ports' – Kralendijk (Craft Workshops Weavers), Otrobanda (Trading Port) *'Later Villages/Ports' – None *'Plantations' – Aruba (Small Sugar Plantation) Paramaribo, Dutch Guyana *'Starting Building' – Magistrate *'Infrastructure' – Not Developed *'Population' – 3,055 *'Wealth' – 2793 *'Religion' – Protestantism 80.0%, Animism 20.0% *'Starting Towns/Ports' – Yuruan Mines (Open Gem Pit), Paranam Mines (Gold Mine), Moengo Forests (Not Developed), Demarara (Trading Port) *'Later Villages/Ports' – None *'Plantations' – Groningen (Small Sugar Plantation) Unit Roster The United Provinces have line infantry that have better accuracy than those of any other faction, with no weaknesses to speak of. They can also recruit a handful of elite alternatives, making their overall line infantry roster rather strong. On the other hand, they have a thoroughly average light infantry, cavalry, and artillery roster. At sea, the United Provinces are the only faction that can field Fluyts, unusually strong trading ships. While weaker than their Galleon counterparts from Spain and Portugal, Fluyts are more maneuverable and cheaper to boot. Ironically for a nation with such a proud seafaring history, Dutch ships are not superior to generic ships. With the construction of the United Provinces' unique naval building, the Koninklijke Kweekschool voor de Zeevaart, Dutch ships are 5% cheaper in terms of upkeep cost. Overview The United Provinces start with the Netherlands in the European theatre, Curaçao and Dutch Guyana in the American theatre and Ceylon in the Indian theatre. They are the only playable faction that possesses regions in all three theatres at the beginning. They also begin with a trade fleet in the East Indies trade theatre. The Dutch start allied to Great Britain and Austria. They also start with trade agreements with the Mughal Empire, the Maratha Confederacy and Great Britain. Finally, the United Provinces are the only major faction that's a republic at the beginning of the game, meaning that they have advantages in research and reduction in clamour for reform - useful traits to remember when taking control of new research stations. The Dutch have the rare advantage of access to the Indian subcontinent early. The Dutch have the opportunity to attack the Mughals and Maratha while they are still weak. Expansion in India is also a lucrative idea, and taking will help fund the expansion in other theatres which do not make as much money as this one. Expanding in the Americas could initially be difficult due to the Dutch colonies being surrounded by French, Spanish, and Pirate territories. However, with the development of a strong fleet it is possible to wrest control from the pirates - in fact, taking both pirate territories early can be very useful, as it gives them more land and leaves their trade routes unmolested. The development of a strong army in the Netherlands itself will discourage French and Spanish retaliation. While fluyts are much more durable than Indiamen, they also cost far more and feature much higher upkeep. Ultimately, indiamen (protected by conventional fleets) are more cost efficient in the long run. The Dutch have a hard starting position at first glance, but a closer inspection shows that a careful choice of alliances can assure the Dutch easy conquest and easy financial gain. Trivia *The flag used by the United Provinces is the flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands which is historical anachronism as this flag was adopted in 1937. The historically appropriate flag for the United Provinces would be the Statenvlag. Category:Factions Category:Major Factions